The Gold Standard

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the New York Times about some of my favorite shopping spots in New York City. It was hard to narrow it down so I choose instead to focus on something I have in my own home, the color Gold. I love the warmth of this color and these shops all have amazing items that I love.

You can read more of the story here at this New York Times link.

The Story Behind "The End Of History"

I recently had the pleasure of officially meeting Stephen Saunders. He owns "The End of History", a unique antique glass and ceramic shop based in New York City. I admire that he is keeping an art alive through his passion. Here is a little about the story behind the boutique and how it got its name.

Antiques are in Stephen Saunders blood. He comes from a family of antique dealers in England. Mr. Saunders credits this as to what drives his "collections obsession". From the time he was a very small child he was taken to estate sales and local auction houses. When he was 8 years old he joined the Boy Scouts because they had the best rummage sale in his home town! By the age of 13 he was selling antiques found on the Isle of Wight to relatives in London who owned a shop near the Portabello Road antique market.

What started as a fascination with Chinese & Japanese porcelain from the 18th & 19th century turned into a rediscovery of the beauty of mid 20th century Scandinavian studio ceramics, themselves inspired by the royal collections of Sweden & Denmark of Asian ceramics, and the amazing work that came out of Italy in the 1950s and 60s, Murano glass and gold.

The name of the shop is taken from The End of History and the Last Man a 1992 book by Francis Fukuyama, expanding on his 1989 essay "The End of History?", published in the international affairs journal The National Interest. The title of the shop, for Mr. Saunders, also means the end of a period when the dollar was king and American department stores were full of Scandinavian and Italian design. It was also a nod to the upcoming millennium, as he opened a shop full of 20th century design at the very end of the century in 1997.

Today, "The End of History" celebrates 13 years in business. Their merchandise can be seen in amazing homes, TV shows like Mad Men (one of my favorites), movies like Sex in the City and in many publications. I am inspired by the history represented by this collection of glass. The wonder I feel walking into his shop in New York City, I hope, can inspire generations to come.

A Passion for Print

While shopping for a soon to be published New York Times story I was inspired by other artisans who, like me, truly follow their passions. The next few blog entries I'll introduce you to some of the people behind the names of some amazing stores. My holiday wish is to inspire others with these brief biography's as they have inspired me.

Luke Ives Pontifell owns Thornwillow Press. They are known for their fine handmade books and printing. In addition, Thornwillow designs and manufactures paper for some of the finest purveyors of stationary like Crane's and Cartier. They also have their own lines of cards which draw from the rich traditions of classical engraving and letterpress printing.

They just opened up a boutique of curiosities and library gallery in the NYC St. Regis Hotel. How Mr. Pontifell came to create Thornwillow Press is a story of following one's passion. This is a very short version of the amazing history behind Thronwillow and its passionate creator.

Mr. Pontifell was born in New York City, but a lot of his time was spent upstate at his parents 18th century home surrounded by Thornwillow trees. The home was full of antiques and a collection of beautiful books. He grew up fascinated with the idea that ideas and thoughts from the past will carry far into the future long after we are gone. When he was 15-years-old he took a course in letter press. It ignited his passion for typography and the written word. He was inspired to make functional beautiful objects that will last. Every year during college he printed one book. In his senior year of college his passion turned into a business. Luke and his family are now celebrating 25 years of fine printing, paper making and binding for clients such as Louis Auchincloss, Walter Cronkite, Helmut Kohl, Barrack Obama, John Updike among many others.

Thornwillow Press now is entirely based in the United States. In 2004 he set up workshops in a complex of 19th Century factory buildings he purchased in Newburgh, New York to consolidate these operations. There his team of artisans is dedicated to practicing and perpetuating the crafts of traditional hand engraving and letterpress printing, decorative paper making, gilding, leather bookbinding and fine press publishing. The work of Thornwillow is diverse, but united in its commitment to the presentation and preservation of the written word. Luke firmly believes the idea of how something is made is in the soul of the object. You can feel that when you pick up any of his products.

Some of my personal favorite's of his, for this holiday season, are the letter press, gold place cards, they are wonderful for entertaining. Next time you are in New York City stop by the St. Regis and say hello and get more of the inside story behind this amazing home made brand.

David's Seceret Recipes!!

David Monn's secret reciepes as seen in Black Ink published by Departures.

Triple Baked Potato

What You’ll Need:

8 Potatoes (40-50 Count Yukon Gold)*
¼ Cup of Sour Cream
¼ Cup of Crème Freche
2 Tablespoons of Double Devon Cream Butter
2 teaspoons of Portugese Salt (Kosher salt if 4oz of Cream Cheese not available)
Grape Seed Oil

* 40-50 count is a size measure used in the Produce Industry and each of these potatoes weigh about a pound and a half each.


Getting Started:
Coat the exterior of the potatoes with grape seed oil. Wrap each potato individually in aluminum foil.

Place them into the oven, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour and thirty minutes.

Remove potatoes from foil and using a thin knife, slice along the top both lengthwise and crosswise and fold back the potato skin.

With a table spoon, hollow out the potato insides getting as close to the potato’s skin edge as possible leaving only a shell.

In a mixing bowl, combine potato insides, crème freche, sour cream, cream cheese, Double Devon cream butter, and salt.

Mix on high until potatoes become a smooth, creamy consistency. If the potato mixture seems too thick or not creamy enough, add heavy cream (or whole milk) to the mixture until consistency is ideal.
Place mashed potatoes into a pastry bag (you may want to use a shell tip to add a design although it is not necessary) and pipe, filling each potato shell. Place filled potatoes back into the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Remove potatoes and allow to cool for 20-30 minutes. Before serving, brush melted butter onto exterior. Place potatoes under the broiler until potatoes become lightly browned on top. Serve immediately.

I serve several condiment options:
1) Royal Transmontanus Caviar from Petrossian
http://www.petrossian.com/
2) Classic chilli
3) Vegetable ragu
4) And of course, lots of butter!



Aunt Julia’s Angel Food Cake

What You’ll Need:

Cake:
1 ½ Cups of Egg Whites
3 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract
½ Cup of Cake Flour
1 Tablespoons of Almond Extract
½ Cup of Almond Flour
1 ½ teaspoons of Cream of Tartar
¼ teaspoon of Salt
Granulated Sugar: Portion 1 of Sugar (¾ Cup plus 2 Tablespoons); Portion 2 of Sugar (3/4 Cup)

Whipped Cream Icing:
2 Cups of Heavy Cream
1 Vanilla Bean (Seeded)
1/3 Cup of Granulated Sugar
1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract

Filling:
2 Cups of Bakers Angel Flake Sweetened Coconut
Kalustyan’s Rose Scented Jam (Or your own)

Directions:
Combine egg whites at room temperature, cream of tartar, and salt. Mix at medium speed for one minute. Add portion 1 of sugar, vanilla and almond extract. Beat at high speed until egg whites form high peaks. This will take approximately 3-5 minutes.

Combine cake flour, almond flour, and 2nd portion of sugar. Lightly fold into beaten egg whites. Pour into ungreased angel food cake pan and bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden brown.

Remove, and immediately turn pan upside down on a plate and allow to thoroughly cool.

Whipped cream:
My secret to the perfect whipped cream consistency is to place the mixing bowl in the freezer for an hour prior to beating.

Combine heavy cream, vanilla extract, contents of one vanilla bean, and sugar. Beat at low speed for 1 minute. Turn mixer to high and continue to beat until whipped cream forms thick peaks. Do not over beat or it will form butter!

Assembling cake:
Now for the magic to begin!

With a serrated knife, cut cake into 3 equal horizontal slices. Begin with the top layer of the cake as the bottom layer on the plate. Spoon 1/3 of jam onto the layer and spread evenly. (I make my own rose scented jam at home, but I suggest using Kalustyan’s) Spread ½” thick of whipped cream. Sprinkle generously with coconut and repeat on next layer and the top

Lastly, frost the exterior sides of the cake with whipped cream and sprinkle coconut on sides. I find that slightly pressing the coconut into the whipped cream helps create a consistent, finished look.

Refrigerate immediately and remove it 15-20 minutes prior to serving.

Easy Entertaining

Last week, I invited some of my friends over for dinner. I love to cook, and lately have become taken with perfecting my coq au vin recipe, so I asked them to try the latest version and give me their feed back.

For me, setting a beautiful table is as important as serving a beautiful meal. It's all part of the same experience and both parts need equal attention paid. Your table doesn't need to be "fancy" or feature expensive linens or china, but it should be elegant. For my latest dinner, I selected wonderful green grapes and draped them in small glass bowls, and filled some of my favorite silver pieces with sugared orange slices. These little touches made a big difference on the table, and gave my guests something to munch on between courses!!

Check back for more easy tips to take your next dinner party to the next level!

The Young Women's Leadership Network

Last week I had the distinct pleasure of designing the Young Women’s Leadership Network (Em)Power Breakfast. Even though I’ve helped the YML Network in the past, the individual stories of the aspiring young women never fail to move me.

The YWL Network partners with urban public schools to create single-gender public schools and college bound programs for inner city youth. The YWL Girls’ Schools have given young women opportunities they may not have had without the help of the Network. This year, the students had the privilege of personally interviewing community leaders, one of whom was Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and several business leaders from companies such as RCA/Jive Label Group, Goldman Sachs and The Estee Lauder Companies. They were even lucky enough to meet one of my favorite musical artists, Alicia Keys!

With the fall season in full swing, the YWL Network (Em)Power Breakfast always serves to remind me that children all across the country are back at school and hard at work trying to reach for their dreams. I take great pleasure in supporting the Young Women’s Leadership Network because it allows me to help provide these young students with incredible opportunities. .

For more information about the YML Network please visit their website at www.ywlnetwork.org.

Condolences

I feel like there have been a lot of people in the news who have passed away recently. I was saddened to learn of the death of my colleague, Robert Isabell, over the summer, and, more recently, Dominic Dunne.

Over the course of my career, I've been asked by a few special clients to coordinate the funeral and memorial services of a loved one who had just passed away. Although most people don't think about it, funerals and memorial services require just as much planning as any other event, often times more so due to the very short turn around time. I pride myself on giving my clients elegant and memorable events that allow them to say goodbye with grace and dignity.

About a month ago, we did a funeral for a client. When I mentioned that one of the children hadn't received many hand-written notes, someone in my office suggested that perhaps his friends and associates simply didn't know what to say.

A condolence note should be brief, avoid including a personal comparison (when my mother died...), and let the person know that you're there for them. It's perfectly fine to say "While no one can truly know how you feel, please know that I am here if you need anything at all." Obviously, sharing a short remark about the deceased if they were a family member or very good friend is perfectly acceptable, but not necessary if there was no close relationship.

In the end, the effort of putting pen to paper will mean more than the content of the note itself. So no matter how awkward you feel, send that note because it will mean the world to the recipient.